Proposed Regulatory Changes: Maximum Age Of Dependants

In August 1, 2014, the statutory definition of "dependent child" in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (the Regulations) was amended from "less than 22" to "less than 19", reducing the number of family members eligible to apply to immigrate to Canada. The definition of "dependent child" in the Regulations is used to determine whether a child may be eligible to immigrate as a family member of a citizenship applicant. The rationale advanced by the federal Conservative Government at the time was that older immigrants have a more challenging time integrating into the Canadian labour market. This amendment was intended to enhance the economic integration of immigrant dependent children.